Take a deep breath in and let it all out...keep going...don't breathe back in just yet...you got this...don't pass out...WAIT! This is craziness! Who would breathe out all the air in their body and not breathe back in? Well, my friend, that's exactly what you're doing when you don't take time for yourself.
Life is busy, no, life is crazy! I get it. After the morning alarm goes off, we get swept up in a whirlwind of tasks and to-do lists the length Louisiana. By the time the sun dips below the horizon, we just want to drag our worn-out carcasses into a soft, warm bed and drift off to a place where stress and checklists don't exist. Then the alarm goes off and it starts all over again. Sound familiar?
This cycle keeps going for days, then weeks, then months, then...get the picture? When does the madness stop? It doesn't. Sound like a great life to you? I didn't think so.
If you want to break out of the madness, you need to take a break for yourself.
I know, this sounds easier than it actually is. Lucky for you, I have some fail-proof tricks to ensure you get some much-needed time to yourself. You deserve it! Now, let's dive in and get you out of the deep end and into the lounge chair...if that's where you find your zen.
What you put in, you get out.
Newton (not the cookie) gave us an important truth, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This means what you move away from, moves away from you and what you move toward, moves towards you. I'm not saying if you walk toward a tree, it is also moving toward you, the tree has no force yet, and Newton's law works with forces opposing forces, to be exact.
Before we keep going, let me explain what a force is. A force is a push or pull that acts on an object when that object interacts with another object. Basically forces result from interactions. Think about that same tree from before. If you were to push against that tree, there is actually a force that pushes back against you. What does that have to do with investing in yourself? Everything!
Our intentions and emotions come from our thoughts. These create various energetic frequencies - forces - that either move us toward or away from what we want. For example, you think, "I really want to start working out" and that creates the emotion of desire. You are already moving in the direction of your goal - working out - but only a VERY TINY bit. The key is to set an intention and act on it.
Setting an intention means you are committing to do something and take action on it. It's no longer a desire, but a must for you to do. With the intention to work out, you sit down and look at your schedule, creating a plan of when, where, and with whom you will start working out. Now you've got force on your side! When you start taking action, force comes in and moves you toward your desired outcome, while that desired outcome is being moved toward you. You get out what you put in - actually, you can get exponentially more. This is cool stuff!
You may be asking yourself, "What does she mean 'you can get exponentially more'?"
I'm glad you asked! Part of investing in yourself is creating new habits that support the new person you're becoming. Habits can be time-consuming to change or start, but you can implement habit stacking to cut down the time commitment and exponentially increase your return on the time you invest in YOU.
Happy you - happy life.
Scheduling time each day for yourself is not selfish. It's maintenance. Do you tell your car, when you go get it's oil changed and tires rotated that it's being selfish for having maintenance done? What about when you get your furnace tune-up completed every year? That furnace is SOOOOOO selfish! You see my point. Maintenance keeps things running better, longer. Self maintenance does the same for you!
When we take time to do the things in life that bring us joy we are happier, and happier people are healthier. Happiness helps create a stronger sense of purpose and well-being in our lives, which leads to a change in attitude on how we treat our bodies, minds, and souls. From lower blood-pressure to improved sleep, there are rewards for rewarding yourself. So let's get started!
Try this new habit out with your habit stacking and see if it helps you increase the quality time you invest in yourself.
When you get into bed each night, before going to sleep, take five minutes to review your schedule for the next day, make a list of the top five things you need to do, and ensure you have blocked out your self maintenance time in your schedule. Then, every Sunday, right after you wake up, create a new schedule with your maintenance time blocked out.
Start living with the intention to take batter care of yourself and this will naturally extend into taking better care of the ones you love.
Sending love,
Faith Joy
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